Indonesia stops search for Lion Air crash victims

Investigators examine Lion Air plane debris at Port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta on November 4 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia called off the search for passengers of a Lion Air plane on November 10, almost two weeks after the jetliner with 189 people on board plunged into the Java Sea. Muhammad Syaugi, head of the search and rescue agency declared the search and rescue operation was over as his force has not found any more victims. He offered his apology to the public, especially the families of victims. So far 196 bags containing body parts have been recovered from under the water with 79 victims identified and handed over to their families for burial. Rescuers have also retrieved parts of the plane’s engines, wheels and seats from the sea. One diver died helping with search. Lion Air has begun paying 102,058 USD as compensation money for each passenger to the grieving families. The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee has retrieved one of the black boxes — the flight data recorder — and is still hunting for the cockpit voice recorder, which recorded the last conversation between the pilot and co-pilot before the crash. The Lion Air plane plunged into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang city on October 29. All 189 people on board were killed.-VNA